After Bhopal's bizarre flyover with a 90-degree turn, a project with equally astounding engineering sense has come to light in Maharashtra's Nagpur city. The under-construction flyover has become the centre of attention after it was found to be running through the portion of a balcony of a house located along its stretch near the Ashok Chowk.
Locals have dubbed it the "eighth wonder" and questioned why the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Nagpur Municipal Corporation failed to act before allowing the structure to pass through someone's house.
Residents are asking whether the house is authorised. If it is, why was it not acquired with compensation, and if unauthorised, why was it not demolished? To find answers, we visited Ashok Chowk and spoke with the house owner Praveen Patre and his daughter Srishti, as well as senior BJP MLA Mohan Mate.
A 150-year-old house
According to Patre and his daughter, their family has lived in the house for six generations, and the property itself is around 150 years old. The home was renovated 25 years ago. They said they have no objection to the flyover cutting through their balcony and are not concerned about safety risks. However, when asked if the balcony is authorised and whether the house plan was approved, they gave evasive replies.
A Rs 998 crore goof-up?
The flyover, stretching 9.2 kilometres, is being built at a cost of Rs 998 crore under the supervision of the NHAI. Officials from the authority, while declining to speak on camera, said they had already informed the municipal corporation about the issue. It is the responsibility of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to demolish unauthorised construction, but officials there have avoided commenting on the matter.
MLA demands action
South Nagpur MLA Mohan Mate said he was also surprised that no action had been taken so far by the municipal corporation, NIT, or NHAI officials. He demanded that those involved should be suspended immediately. Mate added that while development work is ongoing in Nagpur, such lapses tarnish the city’s reputation. “Before the flyover reached the balcony, the authorities should have issued a notice and removed the structure,” he said.
